JustinSmith

Not all doctors have been taken in by the cholesterol idea. But yes, generally, I'm afraid that cholesterol drugs are only about profit and not health. I know that this will be very difficult for some people to accept but in order to understand the situation we need to consider the changes that have taken place within medicine and the pharmaceutical industry. Several editors of the largest medical journals have highlighted some of these issues. For example, Richard Smith worked for the British Medical Journal (BMJ) for 25 years and was Editor and Chief Executive of the BMJ Publishing Group from 1991 to 2004. During this time he became one of the most influential people within medicine. Richard Smith does not examine the subject of cholesterol, but he does explain how the pharmaceutical companies, although powerful and influential, are experiencing a ?productivity crisis?. In order for these companies to grow and increase profits they need to develop innovative drugs that genuinely provide significant benefits for patients. Unfortunately the number of pharmacological breakthroughs in this respect have been much fewer than was hoped for. It was hoped that new drugs would be discovered for the ever increasing degenerative diseases suffered by huge numbers of people in the developed world. However, these attempts have been unsuccessful. Pharmaceutical companies have been forced to look at other ways to achieve business growth. This includes increasing marketing efforts to get more people to use their drugs, and creating new diseases: or converting more people into patients. Some authors describe these activities as ?disease mongering?. I assure you that every single comment that I make is substantiated with references from the medical literature. One only has to look at the facts, and when we do, the conclusions are obvious.

The fact that your brother had a heart attack with a cholesterol of 4 illustrates one of the key facts about cholesterol. Namely, that most people who have heart attacks have average cholesterol or low cholesterol, and NOT high cholesterol. Yes, you are absolutely right to question anyone who suggests that cholesterol ?can't be too low?. Since cholesterol is needed for every cell within the body and it is used for many functions within the body. Cells actually die if they do not have enough cholesterol in them.

Hi All, I am the author of the book $29 Billion Reasons to Lie About Cholesterol I have recently moved to the area and would like to arrange a series of health-related talks or workshops. Here are a few facts about cholesterol and cholesterol drugs: So called, 'high' cholesterol is in most cases simply a normal or average cholesterol level ? the definition has been changed so that more people are eligible for statin drugs. Most people who have a heart attack do not have high cholesterol - their cholesterol tends to be average or below the average for the general population. Higher cholesterol does not correlate with a higher incidence of heart disease when we look at most countries around the world. The rate of heart disease continues to increase despite large reductions in the number of people with 'high' cholesterol. The average cholesterol level for people in the UK is low when compared with the rest of Europe, despite this, the UK has one of the highest rates of heart attacks. The latest research has completely changed our understanding of heart disease and has led researchers to abandon the idea that the arteries simply get clogged-up with fats and cholesterol, but this information is not filtering down to the general public. Do Statins Really Save Lives? Earlier this year, an analysis of ten clinical trials was published in the British Medical Journal - this found that statin drugs only reduce the overall death rate by 0.6 percent What Are the Risks? There is strong evidence that statins increase the risk for type 2 diabetes, and there are unanswered questions about statins and cancer. A recent MHRA safety review of statins did not investigate, or even mention, the risks associated with diabetes or cancer ? instead it focussed on less serious adverse effects. I have been researching this subject for several years. There is no doubt that people are being misled and are unknowingly exposing themselves to significant risks. I would be very keen to hear from anyone who could suggest a possible venue for a presentation on related subjects, and in particular, from anyone who would like to attend. More information is available at: www.29billion.com Thank you! Justin Smith